My husband came home and said, “I’m in love with another woman, but I still love you, so I’ll just live in both houses” — I thought he was joking until he began packing, so I taught him a lesson he never expected from me.

Vivian lowered herself to his height.

“Yes, and I was wrong.”

“Why?”

“Because I believed what was easy instead of asking what was true.”

He considered her answer, then pointed toward the kitchen.

“You can have one biscuit.”

Vivian laughed through her tears.

“One is more than I deserve.”

Months later, Elena handed the keys to her house to a new buyer.

I stood beside her outside the estate agent’s office.

“I thought losing it would destroy me,” she said.

“What

will you do now?”

“Rent somewhere small.

Finish paying what remains.

Begin again without somebody else’s promises.”

She held out an envelope.

Inside was the first repayment toward the money taken from our savings.

“This is Callum’s debt,” I said.

“Part of the deposit came from your account.

I benefited even though I didn’t know.”

“You helped expose him.”

“That does not return Kieran’s money.”